Leon checked the pulse of the still body. "She's alive" he announced to the group who looked down at the poor girl.

Her pale skin was wet and damp on the cold forest floor; her blonde hairs lay across her shoulders and as merlin came into view of the girl shivers were sent down his spine.

He knelt down beside her and held her cheeks "Oh Freya…no..." he whispered to himself.

"You know her?" Leon asked quickly his eyes darting from the girl to merlin.

Merlin nodded solemnly "She's the daughter of a friend. We need to get her back to Camelot."
As Leon wrapped the girl in his red cape and hosted her to the back of the horse merlin looked around the forest.

There was no sign of anyone around and the child he had stolen so long ago was the only sign of the area being touched.

This wasn't the plan, the girl was only fifteen, barely old enough to stop her training let alone be told the truth. Morgana knew this she wouldn't have let the girl leave alone; morgana was a lot of things but stupid was not one of them.

Leon and Merlin were riding ahead of the younger knights, Leon looked over to the friend he had known for many years.

"Merlin what's going on?"

Merlin's blue eyes rose up to meet the green of Leon's "Nothing, we must get back to Camelot if we wish to save the girl's life"

Leon shook his head, his red hair shaking in the breeze. "Don't lie to me I know something's up. It's the girl I know it…there's something so familiar about her…"

Merlin stared. He wasn't supposed to tell anyone yet…it wasn't right…but now all of the rules had been torn up, Morgana wouldn't have left her alone meaning something had happened to morgana, and some had very nearly happened to Freya Rose too.

Merlin would never be forgiven if he told. The heartbreak he had caused Arthur and Gwen. Even the knights were beat up after the child had gone missing, especially Leon. Hours before the babe's disappearance Leon had agreed to protect the girl through her life. Then she goes missing.

Merlin had no way to know how it would go now. But he doubted he had little choice. Destinies were funny things sometime they were set lines other times they were blurry but Merlin knew that he had failed in controlling the young pendragon's future and maybe some destiny's cannot be unwritten.

"its Freya Rose."

Leon froze even though his horse continued to trot. "That's impossible."

Merlin shook his head. "I would recognize her anywhere. She has…this energy…magic"

"The girl was kidnapped…"
Merlin shook his head if he was being honest he might as well come clean. "No…I took her."
Leon's eyes gave a look that could kill, the girl he had spent so many hours searching for one of his closest friends knew where she was all along.

"Why?"

Merlin was speechless he didn't know how to justify what he had done, how could he justify stealing his best friends child? Was to prevent a horrible fate that could happen anyway be enough...

"She…the child is destined for terrible greatness."
Leon laughed slightly "you're starting to sound like that bloomin' dragon."

"No. I mean, in the druid scriptures the druids speak of a great evil of royal blood rising to destroy the good one."

"Morgana?" Leon offered and Merlin smiled to himself.

"My immediate reaction… but the druids speak of morgana as the witch…they see her as one of their own…the evil they spoke of would stop at nothing to destroy everything that is good. The magic this person possesses is so powerful…they can kill with a look."

"You believe this child is Freya?"

"I do. I thought by taking her to morgana I was helping, she would learn to train her powers and return when the time was right but all it had done was delayed the inevitable."

"I will not tell Arthur" Leon stated and Merlin took a double take.

"What? Why?"

"You took her away for the good of Camelot. I would've done the same… but Arthur will not see it that way, he will be blinded by the blood between him and the girl. Do not tell him she is his, she is a teenager, I shall take her in and raise her…I swore a long time ago I would protect her and now I will get that chance."

Merlin sat on his horse is mouth wide open. "You think that is wise?"

"The king will suspect nothing. Only that I have grown soft and having no family of my own has made me lonely" Leon spoke these words to wind a lie but he found himself twirling the truth.

Merlin nodded "Very well…we will call the girl by another name though…I will have to talk to her about Morgana and find out what happened…then I will continue her training. She will need it."

It was Leon's turn to nod but as he did he found himself thinking about Morgana, the girl he had never had a chance to love, the reason he was still alone, perhaps now morgana had given him a chance perhaps destiny had dealt him a hand worth fighting for.